It is November. I am currently enrolled in Two graduate courses, teaching grade 4, and I am also in the process of job hunting. I have a list of 13 things to do just this week just for grad classes. So naturally, I am using my Sunday morning to write a blog. hehe.
AUGUST.
Three days after school started, Dennis arrived! I had done my best during the last weeks of summer to wrap up my grad class so I would have one less thing to worry about for his visit. Having that out of the way meant he only had to compete with the 'first week of a new school year'. But he was patient and understanding!
He cooked dinner while I did some work... also he fully understands the level of my cooking ability and has decided that for his own survival he is happy to make the food. hehe. Dennis brought me a Dutch and German language learning game, and we played some of the other games I have as well. I won them all.
He met all my friends here and came to the school bbq. We even ventured out to Jurmala for a visit to the beach.
On his last day in Latvia, we went to Skrunda-1, an abandoned Soviet base in the middle of Latvia. It was inhabited up until the late 90's but now it's a weird, apocalyptic, ghost-town. The national guard was doing exercises as we explored. The sound of gunshots and the people running about in full gear really added to the eeriness of it all.
After Skrunda, we stopped in Kuldiga. This little town proudly boasts the widest waterfall in all of Europe. It is about 1 meter in height, but it is wide. And pretty!
I told myself over the summer I would not let grad school consume as much of my time this year. In an effort to stand by that I joined a few colleagues at the Latvia vs. Czech Basketball game! Latvia won in an exciting game... I think I still prefer hockey more though.
Work and grad school consumed a lot of my September...so much for that goal of mine. We had a PD conference and student council kicked off. I was really enjoying my grad class at the time, so I was happy to dedicate my time to it. I did find time to venture out for dinner or drinks with friends every so often. One night we even went to Cirque du Soleil!!
I caught the seasonal cold as the fall began to settle in and lost my voice for about a week. Thankfully, our first field trip was to a see the movie, "Swallows and Amazons" and having no voice was okay for that!
This year, Ita, Zenta, and I are the advisers for Elementary Student Council. Because, why not! October 2nd was the first day of auditions for the ES Talent Show! A joint operation between Student Council and the music teacher. So each day at lunch some of the brave little risk-takers sang, danced, and twisted balloons in hopes of making it into the show.
Also on the 7th, Dennis came back to Riga!!! His ship had a light fall schedule and he had the vacation time, I had a week off in October, so he returned for a two week visit!! The first week was again him exploring alone while I worked. Then, in the evening, it was him cooking me more fabulous dinners, while I worked. And then me destroying him in more games. hehe. He also came to the Talent Show on Friday the 13th!
Right after school, we took off toward Cesis. We spent the weekend exploring the castle ruins in Cesis and Sigulda as well as a scenic rock view. The weather was rainy and cold on Saturday but we had a good time still! Sunday was better as we explored Turaida and Sigulda. To avoid some traffic we took the scenic route back to Riga and stopped to catch the sunset over the sea.
We went back to Riga on Sunday evening, and on Monday Dennis was banished from the apartment so I could get some grad school work out of way. First thing Tuesday morning we hopped the bus to Tallinn! Again, it was rainy and although it was only 2pm it felt like dusk. But we still toured the old town. Cobblestone streets look more enchanting in the rain anyway!
We found plenty of museums to explore, stay dry in, and learn more about the tumultuous past of Estonia. We stopped for some cake and Dennis had his first try at Russian food for dinner.
We left Tallinn on Thursday and got back to Riga late that night. On Friday, Dennis was sent away again so I could catch up on grad school and plan out the next week of fourth grade. He made more amazing meals (even some to put in the freezer because he doesn't consider chips and salsa to be an adequate dinner for me). On his final day in Riga we ventured out to Mezaparks to enjoy the Latvian nature. And then it was time for him to leave. I don't understand how the time seems to go so quickly when he visits. Next time, it's my turn to visit him again!
Sunday evening, after Dennis had left, I prepared for the crazy week ahead. All parent teacher conferences were scheduled for Friday, but I was heading to America on Wednesday. So, after a week away from school, I returned on Monday to teach all morning and then do half of my conferences. The same schedule on Tuesday with the other half of the parents. Thankfully, I have an amazing bunch of kiddos and parents and they were all very understanding! Conferences went well and because I work with the amazing Ita, I really didn't try that hard with my sub plans. She and I had talked through the next days and I knew she would be fine.
Wednesday morning, I took off to America for one night of family dinner and niece&nephew cuddles, one day of two grad school classes and errands, two days of celebrating my bestie's wedding, followed by one last hug from the family and then the long flight back to Latvia. Of course, that meant I returned to school on Halloween.
What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't bring the best Halloween candies America has to offer to my little monsters in Latvia! My suitcase was packed with close to 8 pounds of candy! :p Some for Ita, some for grade 4, and enough to share with everyone from student council. Celebrations at school can be exhausting, but when you're already jet-lagging and missing your family, why not mix a bunch of sugar-buzzed kids in as well!
I feel like yesterday was October 2nd. I can remember standing in my classroom on October 2nd taking a deep breath and saying to Ita, "I just have to make it through October."
I did it! I made it through October!! November seems to be equally daunting, but before I move ahead I will pause and look back at a fantastic, and incredibly busy few months!
AUGUST.
Although my time at home was longer than past summers, it still felt too short. The goodbye was tough as always, but returning to the school to start set-up and orientation for year 4 at ISL was a bit better when I found the last of Dennis's letters in my mailbox. We jumped right into the year on August 9th. Ita and I attempted the 'first-day-of-school' photo booth and Literally Broke The Machine! Nothing like that for a confidence boost :p
Three days after school started, Dennis arrived! I had done my best during the last weeks of summer to wrap up my grad class so I would have one less thing to worry about for his visit. Having that out of the way meant he only had to compete with the 'first week of a new school year'. But he was patient and understanding! 
He cooked dinner while I did some work... also he fully understands the level of my cooking ability and has decided that for his own survival he is happy to make the food. hehe. Dennis brought me a Dutch and German language learning game, and we played some of the other games I have as well. I won them all. 
He met all my friends here and came to the school bbq. We even ventured out to Jurmala for a visit to the beach. 
On his last day in Latvia, we went to Skrunda-1, an abandoned Soviet base in the middle of Latvia. It was inhabited up until the late 90's but now it's a weird, apocalyptic, ghost-town. The national guard was doing exercises as we explored. The sound of gunshots and the people running about in full gear really added to the eeriness of it all. 
After Skrunda, we stopped in Kuldiga. This little town proudly boasts the widest waterfall in all of Europe. It is about 1 meter in height, but it is wide. And pretty!
After ten days of being spoiled by his company (and cooking) he had to return to the Netherlands and I had another grad class waiting...
I told myself over the summer I would not let grad school consume as much of my time this year. In an effort to stand by that I joined a few colleagues at the Latvia vs. Czech Basketball game! Latvia won in an exciting game... I think I still prefer hockey more though.
SEPTEMBER.
Work and grad school consumed a lot of my September...so much for that goal of mine. We had a PD conference and student council kicked off. I was really enjoying my grad class at the time, so I was happy to dedicate my time to it. I did find time to venture out for dinner or drinks with friends every so often. One night we even went to Cirque du Soleil!! 
I caught the seasonal cold as the fall began to settle in and lost my voice for about a week. Thankfully, our first field trip was to a see the movie, "Swallows and Amazons" and having no voice was okay for that!
The next week we went on a field trip to Zinoo Science Center in Cesis- about 2 hours from the school. The kids were able to play around with a ton of different gadgets and machines and it was a great way to kick off our unit about technology! On the way back to school one of the students got sick on the bus. That was disgusting. But it happens. And thankfully, the kids remembered the not so smelly moments from the trip!
The big fall festival rounded out September, and then it was
OCTOBER.
This year, Ita, Zenta, and I are the advisers for Elementary Student Council. Because, why not! October 2nd was the first day of auditions for the ES Talent Show! A joint operation between Student Council and the music teacher. So each day at lunch some of the brave little risk-takers sang, danced, and twisted balloons in hopes of making it into the show.
That same week was Grandma Ree's birthday! But also World Teachers Day. Ita came to my apartment on Wednesday evening to make 40 muffins, while I did grad school, so the next day SC kids could spread appreciation and cheer! Ita was leaving the next day for Paris....
On the 6th and 7th all the ES teachers attended the IB Inquiry workshop. We haven't had any ES specific PD in what feels like forever! It was really nice to finally chat and learn alongside some of my colleagues. I honestly have not seen some of them since the workshop. And our school is not that big....
Also on the 7th, Dennis came back to Riga!!! His ship had a light fall schedule and he had the vacation time, I had a week off in October, so he returned for a two week visit!! The first week was again him exploring alone while I worked. Then, in the evening, it was him cooking me more fabulous dinners, while I worked. And then me destroying him in more games. hehe. He also came to the Talent Show on Friday the 13th! 
Right after school, we took off toward Cesis. We spent the weekend exploring the castle ruins in Cesis and Sigulda as well as a scenic rock view. The weather was rainy and cold on Saturday but we had a good time still! Sunday was better as we explored Turaida and Sigulda. To avoid some traffic we took the scenic route back to Riga and stopped to catch the sunset over the sea.
We went back to Riga on Sunday evening, and on Monday Dennis was banished from the apartment so I could get some grad school work out of way. First thing Tuesday morning we hopped the bus to Tallinn! Again, it was rainy and although it was only 2pm it felt like dusk. But we still toured the old town. Cobblestone streets look more enchanting in the rain anyway! 
We found plenty of museums to explore, stay dry in, and learn more about the tumultuous past of Estonia. We stopped for some cake and Dennis had his first try at Russian food for dinner.
Wednesday and Thursday the weather slowly began to improve so we slowly began to spend more time exploring outside instead of hiding away in museums. The rain and cold also gave us an excuse to stop for more hot chocolate and cakes!
We left Tallinn on Thursday and got back to Riga late that night. On Friday, Dennis was sent away again so I could catch up on grad school and plan out the next week of fourth grade. He made more amazing meals (even some to put in the freezer because he doesn't consider chips and salsa to be an adequate dinner for me). On his final day in Riga we ventured out to Mezaparks to enjoy the Latvian nature. And then it was time for him to leave. I don't understand how the time seems to go so quickly when he visits. Next time, it's my turn to visit him again!
Sunday evening, after Dennis had left, I prepared for the crazy week ahead. All parent teacher conferences were scheduled for Friday, but I was heading to America on Wednesday. So, after a week away from school, I returned on Monday to teach all morning and then do half of my conferences. The same schedule on Tuesday with the other half of the parents. Thankfully, I have an amazing bunch of kiddos and parents and they were all very understanding! Conferences went well and because I work with the amazing Ita, I really didn't try that hard with my sub plans. She and I had talked through the next days and I knew she would be fine. 
Wednesday morning, I took off to America for one night of family dinner and niece&nephew cuddles, one day of two grad school classes and errands, two days of celebrating my bestie's wedding, followed by one last hug from the family and then the long flight back to Latvia. Of course, that meant I returned to school on Halloween.
What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't bring the best Halloween candies America has to offer to my little monsters in Latvia! My suitcase was packed with close to 8 pounds of candy! :p Some for Ita, some for grade 4, and enough to share with everyone from student council. Celebrations at school can be exhausting, but when you're already jet-lagging and missing your family, why not mix a bunch of sugar-buzzed kids in as well!
October is over.... Now, I just have to make it through November.
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